Wild Issue 158, Mar-Apr 2017

“It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver...” – MAHATMA GANDHI There’s no such thing as altruism in its literal sense. Now, I’m not saying that nobody ever does anything out of the goodness of their own heart. Of course, we see random acts of kindness every day, even if the mainstream media would appear to focus on predominantly negative events. People donate to charities, volunteer for conservation organisations and take time out of their day to become wildlife carers. But the definition of altruism implies at least a lack of benefit for that person, if not a net deficit – and it’s that concept I disagree with. Even the smallest act of charity can provide a strong feeling of personal achievement. It’s human…

LETTER OF THE ISSUE Joe wins a set of MSR Talus TR-2 walking poles valued at $319.95. These aluminium walking poles were reviewed in Wild 154. With an effective length of 105-130cm, they collapse down to 73cm and weigh in at just under 300g. RECONNECT BY DISCONNECTING The value of spending time in nature for enhanced wellbeing, particularly mental heath, has gained increasing attention in recent times. It is widely recognised that, while a high majority of people value nature and think nature conservation is important, fewer people are connecting with nature directly. This means that many people are missing out on the benefits. Also, with less thought going to nature, it now has limited prominence in our contemporary narratives. In particular, political narratives these days rarely mention nature at…

We’re still here – in a manner of speaking. The last few weeks have involved some of the toughest challenges we’ve faced Firstly, not long after our last article, Michael Clarebrough, our friend and the man whose unique idea inspired this whole endeavour nearly four years ago, was forced to withdraw due to personal circumstances. His departure was disappointing for all of us, and it twisted his guts for two weeks prior to finally making the decision. Backfilling Michael’s position involved finding someone appropriate that might pay a significant amount of their own money to take seven weeks out of their lives just after Christmas, at only four weeks’ notice, to get involved in something not only difficult, but also dangerous. We are lucky to welcome to our team Charles…

The 2017 Australian Rogaining Championships will be held in picturesque ridge and gully country just north of Cooma, over the 6th and 7th of May. Rogaining evolved in Victoria last century, and its rules were codified in 1968 which preceeded the first Australian championships, held around Tallarook, Victoria, in 1979. Today, rogaining is a home-grown international sporting success story, having spread to over thirty other countries. This year’s ‘Ridgy Didge’ Rogaine will greet competitors with open woodland country that is ideal for fast travel, and the historic remains of small gold mining ventures in the area dating back to 1888. Participants might just hear the grunts and screams of koalas, as conservation of koala habitat is a major goal for one of the properties in the area. The local koalas…

The renowned La Trobe University Wildlife Sanctuary has been honoured with its own exhibition at Melbourne’s National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). The exhibition, which began earlier this year and runs until the 10th of March every evening (from 6pm to 10pm), gives visitors the opportunity to create a ‘virtual’ tree via iPad, before ‘planting’ it into a virtual scale replicae of the 30-hectare Wildlife Sanctuary. La Trobe University has committed to planting a real tree for each of the estimated 4,000 virtual plantings expected over the course of the exhibition. The installation forms part of a larger exhibition celebrating the life and work of David Hockney, a celebrated English artist and printmaker. The Sanctuary’s senior coordinator, Andrew Stocker said the University was delighted to be able to include an experience…

The Wilderness Society plans to engage the use of drones to film deforestation in action, but not everyone appears to support the concept. Concerned about weakening land clearing laws in many of Australia’s states (specifically NSW, WA and Queensland), The Wilderness Society last week announced plans to buy a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) in order to film land clearing and thereby raise awareness of the issue. Across those states, the conservation organisation claims an area the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is cleared every three minutes, but where words may fail to impact the more jaded members of the public, video footage is hoped to engage. By using drones, The Wilderness Society hopes to gain access to typically well-hidden and remote areas where deforestation may…